I Hear You Everywhere
by Kairi21
Summary: It’s…umm… slightly AU… I think because when I was typing this… I completely forgot about the Ephlesia Ruins ending. This couldn’t have happened before that either, not when Ruenis is mentioned in it so… Where does one really belong? In her place of birth


A/N Finally I get to post again here in the ToF category. I'm really REALLY sorry if I wasn't able to update I'm Just a Kid. Recently, I find myself unable to remember the plot of 'that' story so I'm makin' up for it through posting this songfic. It's…umm… slightly AU… I think because when I was typing this… I completely forgot about the Ephlesia Ruins ending. This couldn't have happened before that either, not when Ruenis is mentioned in it so…

Warnings: I doubt my own skills at writing romance so please… do go easy on the criticism.

Legal Disclaimer: I DON'T own the Threads of Fate game and Shaman King the anime series. They belong to their respective owner(s). Furthermore, the song "I hear you everywhere" from Chobits was sung by Tanaka Rie and also belongs to it's respective owner(s)…

I Hear You Everywhere

--Her story--

Today is my sixteenth birthday. Everything in my life as I know it is gonna change today. My use of language is one of these things. I have long been aware of my misuse of proper grammar. I just chose to do it on purpose because it was one of the few ways I was able to get back at Maya then; by annoying her.

From now on, there will be no excuse for me to be the boisterous hot-tempered brat I once loved to be. Maybe, ruling East heaven isn't my destiny…

/Yeah, now I get second thoughts…/

I look into the mirror to make sure I am what Father and Maya consider 'presentable'. It's been a few years since I left Carona and I highly doubt any one of my old acquaintances would be able to recognize me. I barely even recognize my OWN reflection.

I'm wearing a midnight blue gown to suit the theme color Maya chose for this banquet. My wine red hair is made to spill over my bare shoulders no longer held up into two ponytails as they once were. Even the burgundy eyes curiously eyeing me back through the mirror seem to have lost the fire they once contained.

All my books on magic are now neatly lined on the shelf next to the spot specially reserved for the Dual Halos. Speaking of which, my weapons were reduced to mere displays. Nothing but shadows of the thirst for adventure I once possessed.

To make things worse, the song currently being played on the radio constantly reminds me of the one thing I regret doing. Leaving Carona and a certain someone was the biggest mistake I ever did in my life…

-Kurai yoru no yami no kaze no naka de

shizuka ni sotto me o samasu toki

douka saisho ni utsuru sono sekai ga

mimi ni fureru sono koe ga

kyou mo ano hito de aru you ni

soko kara subete ga umarete

dare mo ga kurushimanai de sumu you ni-

'In the dark wind of a murky night

When I awake quietly and softly

Please let the world that reflects first

Let the voice that touches my ears

Be him for today, too

Please let everything be born from there on

And let no one live while suffering'

I close my eyes and once more, just one last time, I'm standing in Carona town square. The soothing sounds of the bubbling fountain and the whistling wind fill my head with memories of a past adventure. Reminding me of a past friend…

-ano HITO to no machi ga suki

ano HITO to no ame ga suki

ano HITO to no oto ga suki-

'I love the town that he is at

I love the rain that he is in

I love the sound that he is with'

He's standing in front of me, the wind playing with his silver hair. His mouth moves to call out a single name and I strain my ears to hear his voice just this last time…

-I hear you everywhere-

"MINT! MINT ARE YOU READY YET!"

I'm jolted back to reality by the voice of my sister muffled through my room's door…

-tsumetai asa hanareteitta toshite mo-

'Even if we became separated in the cold morning'

Quickly, I wipe the moisture that formed under my eyes without me realizing it and finish looking at myself in the mirror. Finally, I walk out of my room ready to face the big event that is to change my life forever. The room I left is uncharacteristically neat and tidy adding emphasis to my resulution.

As I walk down the hallway in the direction where the banquet hall is located, my mind races back to that day…

-Flashback-

"Mint, I have something to tell you…"

I look at my father expectantly never realizing I was holding my breath too preoccupied with the news he told me.

"Tomorrow, you shall meet your fiancée."

My heart stopped beating and all motion around me slowed down for a good ten seconds.

/I've got a fiancee? I-I'M ENGAGED AND G-GETTING MARRIED/

"His name is Yoh Asakura. He's a famed fighter from the West Heaven Kingdom. He is a prince from a family of skilled mages and shamans.His father and I have been good friends since before the 'Great Aeon War'. I'm sure you'll get along well…"

-End Flashback-

Of course, to rule the kingdom, I had to have a king. Now why didn't I think of that? I must have been too drunk with power and blinded by the need for revenge that it completely slipped my mind.

Dinner went by uneventfully and Yoh and I were shooed away to spend some time alone with each other in the royal gardens.

Yoh has this… I don't know… Bored? Peaceful? Look on his face as we sit next to each other looking up at the night sky.

"You don't approve of this union either do you lady Mint?"

His question permeates the silence of the night. He turns to look at me with a familiar grin pasted on his face. It's the exact same carefree grin I used to wear on my adventures in search of treasure and worldly wealth.

"You see… I already have someone special to me back home but… my parents don't know yet."

And he proceeds to explain to me of his love. His Anna, his 'ice queen' and first love. Listening to his story reminded me more of someone I missed very much.

-ano HITO to no sora ga suki

ano HITO to no uta ga suki

ano HITO to no oto ga suki

'I love the sky that he is under

I love the song that he has

I love the sound that he is with'

I hear you everywhere

kikoeteru yo

mou aenai to wakatte mo-

'I hear you

Even if I knew that I can't see you anymore'

It feels good to be able to open up to another person like this again. Something about this Yoh's laid back persona gives me a warm feeling inside. This Anna is one lucky girl…

After talking about how we both feel about this, he gets up and walks back into the banquet hall.

"It was nice to meet you Mint. I can call you that now right? We are friends now after all. I'll leave you to do whatever you want now."

I watch his retreating form and remember the things he told me earlier. He is going back home tomorrow to tell his parents about Anna.

I got up knowing what I ought to do next. I didn't go back into the party, oh no… I snuck past the guards and made straight for my room…

-sora wa nan no ichibu nandarou

kitto chiisana hanabira mitai ni

wazuka de kasuka de

ki ni mo tomenai you na

ooki na sora ga sono ue o iku-

'I wonder what the sky is a part of

Surely, it's like a little flower petal

Just barely there and faint

The great sky that I can't even seem to keep my mind on

Goes beyond that'

--His story—

I don't know what came over me or why I had the sudden urge to go back to Carona as soon as possible. I just felt that something or someone was calling… waiting me there. Naturally, I told Claire and Ruenis about this over dinner and the two only exchanged devious looks. The next thing I knew, I was being kicked out of the house the next day…

"Don't come back until you find what you're looking for dear!"

"We've packed all the stuff you'll be needing, including the cash!"

So here I am now on a ship bound for Carona without the slightest hint of why I'm going there in the first place. Who knows? Maybe Mira and Klaus would still recognize me. Prima might have grown a bit taller and Elena might remember to call me Rue and not Polly this time…

…and maybe…

…I just might see HER again…

-hateshinai yozora

anna fuu ni naretara

chikaku ni iraretara

subete o wake atte iketara ii no ni-

'An endless night sky

Though I'd like it if I become like that

If I can be close to you

If I can share everything with you'

-kikoeteiru yo

mou aenai to wakatte mo-

'I hear you

Even if I knew that I can't see you anymore'

"…Mint…"

/I guess that's why I'm going, to see HER again… I hope I do… I miss her so much…/

--Her story --

That talk wit Asakura-kun really enlightened me. I ran down the hallway as fast as my three inch stilettos permitted me to.

I mutter a few obscenities under my breath as I make a dive for my room's doorknob. I know I vowed earlier to mature, to walk out of my past and lock it away but… oh what the hell…

"If I'm getting' hitched, they're gonna have ta catch me first."

I proceed to raid my wardrobe and toss any of my favored clothes into the very same bag I used on that fateful adventure to get Valen's relic, the Dewprism. As my hands are busy stuffing random objects into my travel pack, radio included, my mind roams far from this castle over the sea and to a little town situated next to the underground ruins.

/Tomorrow, Asakura-kun is going to where he feels he belongs. Back to his Anna Kyouyama. Why can't I do the same and leave/

Setting aside my seasickness, I hop unto the only ship bound for Carona from East Heaven. Unlike him, if I'm going, I have to go now. Clutching the Dual Halos in one hand and my bag in the other, I stand once more on the ship's upper deck taking one last look at my kingdom.

The wind whips through my hair and I close my eyes and shut out all the other noise around me. I pay no attention to the sound of the ships wooden bottom being slapped by the sea's waves. I don't hear the loud squawks of the seagulls overhead. I ignore the blaring bell announcing the ship's departure.

What I do hear is the wind whistling as it passes by the closure of a small town. I hear the steady crackling of Rod's campfire. I hear the bubbling of the fountain in the middle of the town.

At that moment, I open my eyes t behold the one I long to be with once more. His smile blinds me and his lips move to form a word – a name. His voice sends tingles up my spine everytime I hear him talk. His mere presence is enough to send me floating away on a cloud of euphoria.

/Why didn't I notice it then? I guess I acted that way because I was unsure of how I felt whenever I was with him…/

"Rue…"

-I hear you everywhere

kikoeteiru yo

mou aenai to wakatte mo-

'I hear you

Even if I knew that I can't see you anymore'

--His story--

It's been a week now since I booked myself here at Mrs. Cartha's Inn. I've been in Carona a while now and I'm beginning to think my feeling was wrong- Mint isn't going to be here no matter how hard I wished or prayed I'd see her again.

Sadly, Klaus and his family are out on a trip somewhere and rod no longer occupies the fields behind the Inn. Belle and Duke have continued their bounty hunting somewhere else and Carona seems like a whole new place, bustling with activity. Publicity from the Valen incident must have had something to do with that.

I'm sitting here by the fountain wondering if I should have even come back here to Carona, I can't help watching other couples pass me by wondering if I'd ever get to be that way with HER…

/She probably doesn't even see me in THAT way…/

"Rue!"

A distinct female voice calls out to me and I snap my head back to see who it was… hoping…

"Hey there Rue! See Prima, I told ya it was Polly… erm… I mean Rue…"

It was Elena. Over the years, Elena has developed into a very much attractive young woman but… she wasn't who I was hoping to see… sad to say.

"Oh wow! Rue! Where've ya been man! How are ya?""

Prima _did_ get taller. He's almost as tall as I am… well kind of. He's taller than Elena is. His hair's a bit longer now and he seems to get along well with his sister. He still is hyperactive though…

--Her story--

The sun's beginning to set over the horizon now and the sky's a shade of orange with a tinge of pink.

/Kinda reminds me of Mel…/

I feel like bursting any moment, knowing I'm just seven hours away from Carona. Just one more night… one more dream before it all becomes reality. Before I'll be where I belong.

/I wonder if anything's changed back there/

--His story--

Well that was a pleasant surprise. Prima and his family just got back today and I spent the past hour and a half talking to Klaus and the others…

Then, I met Belle and Duke at the pub while I was having dinner. Like me, they decided to drop by to see how things were going. I was surprised to find out that those two were finally engaged and getting married next month. I never really realized it's been that long since…

Anyway, now I'm sitting in the fields that Rod used to camp in. I must have fallen asleep earlier for the sky is already midnight blue and a lot of stars are out tonight. The night breeze blows gently making the grass in the field sway around slowly…

--Her story—

The moment I set foot on the dock, I ran past the crowd to get to Mrs. Cartha's Inn only to find out she's not available and that the Inn is full. So I had no other choice but to go to the hotel in front of Klaus' shop.

"Princess Mint of East Heaven Kingdom?" Someone called Anna Kyouyama has already booked you in. Shall I confirm this arrangement?"

/Anna? Asakura-kun's Anna? She must have been somewhere around here while I was on the ship. Asakura-kun must have told her about me… he's not such a bad guy after all./

After settling my account, I walk out of the hotel and sit at my one favorite spot in all of Carona, the fountain. Contrary to the fact that there seems to be a lot of people here in Carona now, the square's pretty much deserted. No one likes to be out this late at night.

I'm wearing the exact same type of clothes as the ones I wore on the last time I was here. They were a birthday present from Maya. We've finally learned to get along well over the past few years. We're as close as sisters could be now.

I did my hair in two ponytails today, just for old times sake. My hair's much longer now though, done this way, it reaches down to my waist still.

Finally I could be in the one place where I truly feel I belong. I could hear the whistling wind again. I could listen to the fountain's bubbling and feel the sensation of the cool water on my fingertips once more…

-ano HITO to no sora ga suki

ano HITO to no uta ga suki

ano HITO to no oto ga suki-

'I love the sky that he is under

I love the song that he has

I love the sound that he is with

I hear you everywhere

I hear you everywhere'

/Now if only I could hear him- his voice… even just this last time…/

-kikoeteiru yo-

'I hear you'

--His story—

I walk through the alley and notice somebody sitting by the fountain. I'm not surprised by the fact that someone is out this late at night but what intrigues me is the feeling that this woman seems so familiar to me.

As I get closer, her features get much clearer. Her strawberry hair is pulled up into two ponytails on either side of her head and she's wearing a royal blue tunic.

I hesitate to call her until she sets two familiar looking golden rings next to the spot she's sitting on.

"… Mint?"

The lady turns around, strands of hair cascading down her shoulder to reveal the face of the person I've wanted to see for so long…

"Rue…"

-I hear you everywhere

kikoeteiru yo

mou aenai to wakatte mo-

'I hear you

Even if I knew that I can't see you anymore'

"What are you doing here?"

"I came back to the place where I feel at home. Where I belong…"

"And you?"

"I…"

"I just **HAD** to see you again…"

"… me too."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**OWARI XD**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

A/N Well how was that? I know the ending was unsatisfactory. Earlier feedback from peers told me so. Like I said, I'm a noob at romance and therefore need more motivation to write. I just **might** modify the ending… Please R&R minna-san! Thanx to all readers.


End file.
